Combined toe pad, callus reliever, and bunion shield



Jan.10,l928. 1,656 135 J. J; BLANCHFIELU COMBINED TOE PAD, CALLUS RELIEVER, AND BUNION SHIELD \Filed May 18,, 192? I INVEFQ'OR WITNE dams (1 Bum/wan BY 6 7M ATTORNEY lli atented Jan. 10, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE- JAMES J. BLANCHZFIELD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GOMBINED TOE PAD, OALLUS RELIEVER, AND BUNION SHIELD.-

Application filed Hay 18,

The present invention is concerned with the provision of a foot appliance primarily adapted to relieve and correct deformities or unhealthy conditions of the great toe.

lthe device is adapted to serve as a pad and cushion for the affected parts, as a' shield for a hunion at'the second joint of the great toe, or in other words at the thirteenth joint of the foot, and incidentally designed to relieve painful calli or corns under the first joint of the great toe, technically knownas the fourteenth joint of the foot.

.lrn oloject of the invention is to provide a device which will serve the functions above noted, which will be of extremely simple, practical construction, highly sanitary in use, capable of ready reversiloility for use with either the right or left foot, and a device which is well suited to the requirements of economical manufacture.

' ttti Preferably the device eliminates entirely the use of any material such as leather which might chafe or bind the toe or other parts of the foot, and provides an appliance made entirely of soft, highly flexible material in the nature of a compressible resilient pador cushion such as a pad of felt. wool, compressihle cotton batting or the like.

With the above noted and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims. The invention may be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the ings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the foot appliance of the present invention in applied position.

Fig. Q is a generalp'erspective plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 .is a perspective edge view.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional detail on the line H of Fig. 2.

The appliance is preferably formed of a single sheet of felt, or any equivalent relatively soft flexible resilient material. It includes a main body portion 10 adapted to lie against the inner surface of the foot over the second joint of the great toe. Integral with the ho y is a relatively narrow tapering strap portion 11 cooperating with the body to encircle the toe. The strap portion 11 is adapted to 'underlie the phalange between the thirteenth and fourteenth joint of the accompanying draw 1927. Serial No. 192,346.

foot, or in other words, between the first and second 'oints of the great toe. Strap 11 is prefera ly narrowest where it passes between the great toe and the second toe of the foot, and of gradually increasing width where it joins the body 10. One end of the body is integrally connected to the strap and the other end of the body is secured thereto as for instance by a line of stitching 12.

Integral with the body is a rearwardly extending suitably shaped tail piece 13 following the contour of the inner side of the foot and adapted to have an opening 14 out therein to accommodate a bunion, corn or other enlargement at the inner side of the second joint of the great toe.

With the attachment in applied position,

strap 11 slightly elevates the toe, thereby relieving the strain and the pressure upon calli at other parts of the toe, notably under the fourteenth joint of the foot. The tail piece 13 and body 10 cooperatively shield,

the inner side of the foot from rubbing or chafing contact witha shoe, and the body and tail piece also cooperatively define a shield for a bunion or corn accommodated in the openin 14.

The pa serves an additional important function which is to prevent cracking and breaking of the ordinary leather shoes at a oint immediately adjacent the great toe oint, in that the pad fills up the shoe at this polilt and relieves the-tendency to crease and It will be seen that the device may be readily turned inside out in order to serve either for theright foot or the left foot of a wearer. The pad is highly sanitary and may be readily washed. No leather is used,

. and the a pliance is consequently rendered not'only c caper, but less apt to chafe if it is not exactly fitted to the foot.

Obviously various changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from the invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the details set forth, but shall consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall claims.

I claim:

1. A combined toe pad, callus reliever and bunion shield including a body portion adapted to lie against the inner surface of the forward portion of the foot, and a relawithinthe spirit and scope of the appended p tively narrow cushionlinfi strap portion cooperating with the y to encircle the great toe, saidstrap being sufficiently thick to elevate the toe and relieve the pressure on calli thereunder.

'2. A combined toe pad, callus reliever and bunion shield including a body portion adapted to lie against the inner surf-ace of the forward portion of the foot, and .a relatively narrow cushioningstrap portion cooperating with the body to ''encircle the to' slightly elevate the toe andfrelieve the pressure on' callif thereunder, the narrow great toe, said strap being sufliciently thick portion of the straps being adapted to lie between the great toe and the second toe and under the eat toe pad between the first and second oints of the great toe, the body including a rearwardly extending tail piece lyin against the inner surface of the foot 

